Black Ruins Forest (The Elder Series Book 1)

by Karen DuBose

  “Have I told you that you’re a geek at heart lately?” I say with a grin.

  “Nope. Not in a while, but I still love you. This geekiness has gotten us out of trouble a few times. ”

  “I love you, too.”

  We talk and work on finding out more information on Nessa. Before we know it, the sun is coming up. Finally, Kira says, “I’m glad there’s no school tomor—” she looks at the clock. “Today. But I hate why we don’t have school. How could they hide this from us? We should have known there were rumors of demons.”

  “How do you know we don’t have school today?” I ask.

  “It was announced yesterday. They sent a message to everyone. Check your Pdat. I’m sure you have one too.”

  I nod my head in agreement. My DC buzzes with a text. I open the message and read the name or the sender: Kiernan. How did he get my number? And how is his name programmed in my DC?

  Good morning Dary.

  I wanted to make sure you are ok.

  I miss your beautiful smile.

  I look up from reading the message. I’m in shock that he has my number and giddy at the same time.

  “What’s with the goofy smile?” Kira asks

  “The message is from Kiernan. How did he get my number?” She gives me a devilish grin. “When did you give him my number?”

  She looks at me with narrow eyes, like I should know the answer to that already.

  “If I hadn’t given him your number, you wouldn’t have done it. You didn’t even give me your number for two weeks after you got your DC.”

  I give her a look that says, ‘That’s a lie,’ but then I remember it’s true.

  “I didn’t even know my number at the time, and I kept forgetting I even had a DC until mom forced me to wear it everywhere I went for those two weeks.”

  She shakes her head. She knows that I’m telling the truth.

  “Sad thing is, I know you’re right, so you can thank me for programming his number in your DC and giving him yours,” she says with a smirk.

  “I was going to thank you. You’re the best.”

  I bump her with my shoulder, still wearing the goofy grin. I really don’t know what I would do without her.

  She bumps me back with her shoulder knocking me off the bed. “Yeah, I guess I am,”

  We both burst out laughing. I haven’t been this happy since before my father got killed. Just thinking about him makes my chest tight. How can the elders be so cruel? Why would they even care if my parents had another child? Are they dictating everything we do now? Those questions won’t be answered anytime soon. Instead I text Kiernan back.

  I’m doing ok. Thank you for asking. I miss you as well. Especially that smile.

  When are we meeting up? I have a lot to tell you about everything I found out last night.

  I get my clothes ready for the day before heading into the bathroom. I hear my DC buzz. I pick it up to read what he has written:

  You have a way to make a guy blush.

  What are you doing right now? I would love to meet up. How about for dinner? I have things to do with Bruno today. I wish it was with you instead.”

  I get butterflies in my stomach reading his text. I reply:

  You have the same effect on a woman. About to get into the shower

  I can’t wait to see you. I’m counting down the minutes. Where would you like to meet.”

  I walked into the bathroom to start my shower, and my DC buzzes again. I run to my DC to see what he wrote.

  I will never get that image out of my mind nor do I want it to go away. I think this smile is permanently stuck on my face. I can’t wait to see you, either. I will pick you up around four O’clock. Have a nice shower.

  What am I going to do with him? Already has his mind in the gutter. Shaking my head, I get in the shower. I hear my DC go off again. I hurry to get done so I can see what he wrote. When I opened the text, it isn’t from Kiernan. I set the DC down, not looking at the message.

  When I’m finally done, I wrap my hair in a towel and put my robe on. I rush over to pick up my DC and see what the message says.

  I know what you are. You will never be able to hide from me. Not even your protectors can keep you safe from me.

  I read it over and over. I look at the number. Unknown number? Who the hell sent this to me? I run down stairs to show my mom.

  “MOM! Where are you?”

  I look all over the house for her. I run outside to the backyard to see if she’s there. She isn’t. I run back into the house. Kira is just getting out of the guest bathroom shower. She looks at me funny.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  I show her the message. She looks at me then back to the message.

  “Who sent this to you?”

  “I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t be freaking out so bad.” This is bad—really, really, bad. I send Kiernan a text:

  I need to see you now…. I just got a text from an unknown number…I’m freaking out about what it said……

  I hit send and wait for his reply. It comes back faster than I expect. I’m afraid for a second that it’s the other person. Then I see his name and sigh with relief.

  I’m on my way over. Stay in the house and lock the doors until I get there. Bruno is coming with me. Be there soon.

  I run to the nearest window and lock it. “He said to lock all the doors. Lock the windows as well.”

  We run through the house and lock all the doors and windows. There’s a banging on the door when we get done. We both jump and almost scream. I have to cover my mouth before it escapes. There’s no way he got here that fast. I look at Kira. We both have the same terrified expression.

  “Open the door! Why did you lock the door?” my mom yells.

  We both let out a sigh of relief. I go to the door and look out the peephole, just in case. I open the door and grab the bags from my mom’s arms.

  “Why did you lock the door?”

  “I got a text from an unknown number. I went looking for you, and you weren’t here, so I texted Kiernan and told him what happened. He told me that he and Bruno are on their way, and that I needed to lock the doors until they got here.”

  “First off, who’s Kiernan? Why is Bruno coming here? What did the text say?”

  “Mom, how can you not know who Kiernan is? He’s the only guy I’ve had a crush on since forever.”

  She drops her purse on the table in the hallway and shuts and locks the door.

  I hand her my DC so that she can read the text message. She drops my DC after reading it. Luckily, there’s a thick rug in the entryway. She runs to her bedroom and shuts the door. What was that all about? I know she isn’t afraid. I walk into the kitchen where Kira is making us breakfast and sit at the breakfast bar.

  “Why are you making breakfast? I’m in no mood to eat right now,” I say.

  She turns to me and gives me a ‘you are going to eat’ look. I throw my hands up. I know better than to argue with her. We both haven’t slept, and I’m starting to feel it. I know Kira is trying to stay busy to keep from screaming her head off and hiding.

  “Fine. I’ll try to eat something.”

  Kira points the spatula at me. “You need to eat even when you don’t want to. We all need our energy.”

  She’s right. I just hope my food will stay down. Who could have texted me? Did Nessa tell the elders what I am already? I wouldn’t put it past her. She would do anything to make my life cycle hell, or worse—get me killed.

  A few minutes later, the doorbell rings. I get up slowly to answer it. What if it isn’t the guys? What if it’s the person who sent the text?

  I hear Kiernan call out. “Dariya, it’s me.”

  I look out the peephole to make sure it is the guys. I see Kiernan smile at me. Smart ass. I open the door and I feel strong arms wrap around me. I didn’t realize how tense I am until this moment.

  Kiernan leans in close to my ear. “Are you ok? Have there been any more texts?”

&
nbsp; I shake my head ‘no.’ I hand him my DC, so they can read it.

  Bruno is the first to ask questions. “How many people know you’re a seer?”

  “I told you last night, Nessa was spreading that rumor yesterday, so I have no clue. plus, I told you about the vision I had about her.”

  I walk back to the kitchen and sit down in the same chair. I put my elbows on the bar and put my head in my hands. Kiernan comes up behind me and lifts me like I don’t weigh a hundred and sixty pounds. He puts me on his lap as he sits down. My mom comes into the kitchen and stops. She looks around and then zeroes in on me. Oops. I forgot to tell her that Kiernan and I have been getting close. I’m sure I’m about to get a lecture now.

  “If you don’t mind, will you get my daughter off your lap?” She scolds.

  I get off his lap. I’m red from embarrassment. Kiernan gets up and walks over to my mom.

  “Hi, I’m Kiernan. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “I know who you are. Do you normally disrespect people’s homes by manhandling their daughters?” she says, still scolding.

  “Mom! Will you please stop?”

  She turns to me and gives me a look I can’t understand.

  “Ma’am. I don’t mean to disrespect you at all. I’m really sorry.”

  She turns to Bruno. “Where have you been, Bruno?”

  The shocked look on his face tells me that he didn’t even know she knew him.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t know you were looking for me.”

  Wow. My mom sure knows how to make men feel uncomfortable, apparently.

  “I’m sure Asher has told you everything. If not, I want to know how you know about my daughter.”

  From the look, he’s giving her, and the way he’s bouncing from foot to foot, he seems to legitimately fear my mother. How can that possibly be? She’s only five-foot-six-inches, and she weighs only about a hundred and two pounds. I look between the both of them, and for the life cycle of me, I can’t figure out what’s going on.

  “Yes, ma’am, he’s told me everything. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. He told me to tell you that the pink lilies are beautiful where he is right now.”

  I see my mom relax after he tells her that. That must have been the safe phrase they came up with.

  My mom turns and says, “I have something to show all of you. Before you get mad at me again, Dariya, I need to show this to everyone who’s willing to protect you. I didn’t want to have to repeat myself several times.”

  She pulls out a scroll and opens it up. It looks like a map. I step closer to get a better view.

  “Is that the map of the Black Ruins Forest?” Kiernan asks.

  Bruno answers Kiernan. “Yes, it is. How did you get this?”

  “Asher gave it to me a long time ago, even before Dariya was born. He told me to keep it for when the time came when I had to hide out to protect my child.”

  Hold up, does she expect me to go into hiding? I don’t think so. This is my life cycle. I get to have a say. They’re not going to plan anything without my say.

  “I am not going into hiding. This is my life cycle, and I decide what happens to it,” I say, seething.

  They all look at me with different expressions. Kiernan looks at me with wary; my mom looks at me with pain, worry, and fear; and Kira just has a big ass smile on her face that says, ‘you tell them!’ Bruno is expressionless. I look at each of them, hoping that my serious expression indicates that I am not backing down.

  Mom let’s out a sigh. “I know you don’t want to hide. I don’t want that, either. If it comes down to it, we need a plan. As much as I wish I could throw you over my shoulder and run, I know I can’t.”

  I shake my head at her statement. I look at the map again. Where in Zilo is this place? I’ve never even heard of this forest before. Is it far away? Is it even on this planet? I bet it’s protected with magic. The elders have never been able to break through powerful magic, no matter how hard they’ve tried. At least that is the rumors. They don’t like us to know their weaknesses. There has to be some powerful magic in this forest to block out the elders.

  “May I speak with you, Dariya—alone, if possible?” Bruno asks.

  I give him a nod and walk to the living room. I turn around to face him. He’s standing there looking lost. He’s rubbing his face with his hands. I swear he’s aged ten cycles since yesterday.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “I’m trying to figure that out. I’m trying really hard not to—as your mother had said—throw you over my shoulder and run. I get that you don’t want to endanger anyone. What I don’t get is, why are you so bent on thinking you can live a normal life cycle when they’re onto you? We can only protect you so much here. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Why is he being so protective of me? We barely know each other. We’re like ten cycles apart. What is his plan in all this? Why is he trying to protect me from the elders?

  “What’s your end game in all of this? Why are you protecting me when you don’t even know me all that well?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

  He looks at me shocked. I know I’m onto something now.

  “Just spill it. It is written all over your face that you’re hiding something from me.”

  “Have you ever wondered why we live where we live and don’t have contact from other worlds? Has it ever occurred to you that we’re off the grid for a reason? We don’t need to fear other worlds. We are the ones they fear. We’re the ones who keep them out. I don’t agree with that. I don’t want to kill people because they get too close to our home. The elders do that. They are the reason people die. They’re trying to control us—our every move and our every thought. They’re afraid of losing control. They know they’re outnumbered. I want to end the elders. They need to learn that they can’t control us for their pleasure. Plus, Asher promised your father that we would protect you, in any way we can.”

  Who in the world is this Asher dude? And is he kidding me right now? All this time, we’ve been a game to the elders? What is their endgame? To wipe us all out when they get bored? I’m well aware that they don’t have a problem killing people. Look what they did to my father. He lost his life cycle because he didn’t do what they wanted him to do. Where does it end? When did my father and Asher speak? This is getting to be too much for me.

  “You said we outnumber them? How do we outnumber them? They’re strong—and huge. Who is this Asher dude you and mom keep bringing up?”

  He looks at me and smiles. How can he be smiling at a time like this?

  “You’re not the only seer we have helping us. Asher is one of the elders. He doesn’t agree with the others. He became an elder to make changes. So far, he’s gotten a few of the elders on his side. I haven’t spoken with him in a while. I never know when he’ll show up.”

  “Wait what? I thought seers were rare and only one at a time was born. What does this mean? “How is that possible? There’s only ever been one seer at a time! What do you mean, Asher is an elder? How can we trust him? For all I know, he’s trying to trap me and use me.”

  He shakes his head and holds out his hand for me to take. I’m hesitant to take his hand. When I do give him my hand, he leads me to the couch to sit down. We sit down, and he lets my hand go.

  “There is so much going on that only a handful of people know about. There is more than one seer born at a time. The elders seek out the strongest and kill the others. We keep it a secret to protect people and shifters. The seer you thought lost her mind is the one helping us. She didn’t lose her mind. She acted like she lost her mind to get away from them. It was the only way to get her away from them.”

  I sit there thinking about what he had said. Why would she need to get away from them so badly? I know they’re a bunch of quims, but what exactly made her need to leave so badly?

  “What did she see that caused her to need to get away from them so badly?”

  I know I’m going to r
egret asking just by the look he is giving me.

  “She saw all of us dead if we did not protect you. You are the key to ending the elders. It is you who will save us all from death by their hands.”

  I don’t know what it feels like to go into complete shock, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve just done it. I’m numb and I can’t get enough air. I hear him calling my name over and over. I can make out footsteps running toward me. Before I can even see who, the blackness takes me.

  Chapter Eight

  Bright light blinds me from the blackness I was in. Once my eyes adjust to the light, I can see my surroundings. I lie on a thick patch of grass amidst the most beautiful vivid green tree and grass I have ever seen. It feels so soft⸻like a blanket. I hear the birds singing to each other. The sky is an amazing shade of blue that it would make the ocean jealous.

  I sit up to see if I can figure out where I could possibly be. I turn and see a lake that is so crystal clear, I can see hundreds of feet down to the bottom. It’s like a mirror for the sky. I have this urge to put my feet in the lake. I stand up and start walking toward the water.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a man’s voice says.

  I jump. Where in the world did he come from? I can’t see his face. The sun is blocking it from my view.

  “Who are you, and where am I?”

  He walks forward, and when he does, his face becomes visible. Before I even know what I’m doing, I’m running to him. I jump into his arms.

  “Dad, how is this possible? How are you here?”

  I can’t let go of him. He starts laughing and hugs me just as tightly. I have missed him so much. If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.

  “Oh, sweet girl, did you really think they could keep me from you? You are one of the strongest seer dragons.”